Apparatus for towing and refueling aircraft in flight



Oct. 19, 1954 A. J. COBHAM ETAL APPARATUS FOR TOWING AND REFUELING AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1951 Get. 19, 1954 A. J. COBHAM EI'AL 2,692,193

' APPARATUS FOR TOWING AND REFUELING AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT Filed Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 19, 1954 COBHAM r 2,692,103

APPARATUS FOR TOWING AND REFUELI'NG AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT Filed Jan. 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 19, 1954 ED TATE APPARATUS. FOR TOWIN AND REEUELING AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT dan, n C b m, L'atimer-Needham;

rad rues signers tdFl'ight 'Refuelling Limited, London; England, a British company Application January 2, i951; SerialNo.

Claims priority, application Great January 3, 1950 6 Claims. (011. 244- 135) This invention, which relates to refuelling of aircraft in flight and to the towing of one aircraft by another with or without refuellingj'is' an improvement or modificationof the invention described in the specification of United "States application Serial No. 153,198, filed March 31, .950.

This specification describes apparatus enabling a physical connectionto be established between a .leading and a following aircraft, for the purpose of passing fuel from one to the other or of enabling the following'aircraft to be towed by the leader, the apparatus comprising elements mounted on the leading and following aircraft respectively. To summarise the disclosure of this specification, thejappara'tus described comprises essentially an element in the form of a flexible hose or towing 'line or a jointed pipe or rod mounted on the leading aircraft and trailed therefrom when 'contact'is to be established, and a rigid element, hollow or otherwise, referred to as a probe, jextending forwardly from the following aircraft, the extremities of the trailing element and of the probe being provided with mutually ehgageable coupling members.

"The present invention, like preferred form of the invention described in the specification of United States application Serial No. 153,198, pro} vides for making and breaking the'refuellingor/ and towing connection, a coupling device of the plug-and-socket type which is self-enga ng on thrusting the plug-member into the socket-'i'nem her and disengageable by imposing on th'e'cow pling device a tension exceeding a critical value: and the coupling device may be provided with remotely controllable means for looking it in engagement, as described in the specification'of Unite d"States application Serial No'. 153,198; One member of the'coupling is mounted on the extremity of an effectively flexible" element trailable'by the leading aircraft, e. g. a flexible hose or cable, or 'a jointed: or/and telescopic pipe or rod, and the other is'mounted'on'the following aircraft with its axissubstantially inth'elin'e of flight The improvement or/and modification according tothe'present'invention comprises, in respect or" the apparatus installed in the following aircraftfth'e" provision of a forwardly extending funnel-shaped guide, Which may be of skeleton construction, "surrounding the coupling member; the'latter beingf'inourlted 01; any 'ce vment part dffthe "aircraft ch isijinobstrujc'ted froni i'ri f f a speel 19? L st uctu ed. Probe:

Britain Q 2: and in respect of the leading aircraft, the provision on the terminalportion of the trailable element, in addition to orunitarywith a drogue or other drag-creating device capable of holding the trailable element, or its terminal portion at least,

substantially horizontal in flight, of a guiding element in the form of, a rigid flange or ring of smaller diameter the maximum diameterof.

thefunnel-shaped guide above'mentioned.

W en th allow ng r ft approahes the leading aircraft from behind, the guiding element can enter the funnel-shaped guide and engage it slidingly to guide the complementary coupling members into alignment.

The funnel shaped guide may be collapsible or/ancl retractable; and'th'e drag-creating device may be a parachute or simple parasheetfi Two; ec e bo iment of h invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example only and. without limitation of. the scope of the invention as defined in the ap pended claims. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of, one embodiment;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of, the right hand portion ure 1 Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 respectively of a second embodiment.

Figure 5 is an outline view in side elevation of two aircraft equipped with apparatus as illusrated in Figures-3 and 4 about to make conne tio In Eigures 1 and 3, {Q is the nose of the following aircraft shown in outline. In it is formed a tunnel l l whose axis is in the line of flight and which s open a t rom e d- W t n hi 1 nel is mounted a tube l2 in which slides an inner tube I w c e nbo rd nd is wen d b me n of a sliding gland or flexible connection (not illustrated) with the fuel system of the aircrait. Between the tubes [2 I3 is an annular space sed at ts ends y co la s A 15 tta d. t tube I2. and. divid d'ia the m d b a ll l5 attached totu belfi, 'Ih e collars l4, i5, 16 are provid d wi h! s al n means H nd th assembly of. tubes, I2, 13, and. co ars. 4, '5 6, tu double.-act neihycua li pneuma i ja se working. cha bers re rmed b the t o part f th annu ar; s ac be we n th ub th ar l6. "constitutin the iston- Bip ".3 i communicating respectively with one" and the other of the chambers of the jack are-selectively conriect'ibleto a fluid "pressure line "20 and a tetihosfpheriehnefi by means ore twoteal 22. This mechanism -enables the apparatus mounted on the extremity of tube 3 to be retracted into the channel H or extended therefrom.

The apparatus mounted on the end of tube It comprises a coupling member in the form of a socket 23, having a tapered throat 23 separated from an enlarged part 23 by a constriction 2A providing a seating for a spring-loaded valve poppet 25. Latch-levers 26 are pivoted on the mouth of the socket 23 and carry latch-rollers 21 which are caused to project into the throat of the socket through slots by means of spring-plunger devices 23.

On the mouth of the socket 23 are pivoted numerous rods 29 arranged to form a skeleton funnel when extended. To each rod 29 is pivoted one end of a strut 30, whose other end is connected by a pin and slot joint 3| to the enlarged part 23 of socket 23.

The leading aircraft trails a flexible hose 32 terminating in a rigid nozzle 33 to the base of which is attached a parasheet 34. The nozzle terminates in a tapered portion which fits in the throat 23 of socket 23 and has a circumferential groove 35 engageable by the latch-rollers 2'5.

On the nozzle 33 is mounted a rigid ring or flange 35 of considerably smaller diameter than the mouth of the guide funnel formed by rods 29. Ring 36 is set back from groove 35 so as just not to jam on rods 29 when the nozzle is fully home in the socket, as shown in chain-dotted lines, with its tip seated on the constriction 24, which is provided with a sealing ring 31. In this position. an element (not shown) located centrally in the nozzle can be operated by remote control to move the poppet off its seating.

When tube it is retracted to withdraw socket 23 inside tunnel H the walls of the latter engage the struts and cause rods 29 to collapse inwards and the collapsible funnel-shaped guide is thus stowed inside tunnel H.

In Figures 3 and 4, a tube 38, mounted in the nose i l of the following aircraft and connected with its fuel system, terminates in a short probe or nozzle 39 extending forwardly in the line of flight and having a tapered extremity and a circumferential groove 40.

Rods 4i slide in members 42 rotatably mounted in the nose of the aircraft surrounding the nozzle 39, and are pivoted within the nose to a collar 43 which slides on tube 38. Collar 43 carries a nut 44 in threaded engagement with a lead-screw 25 forming an extension of the shaft of an electric motor it mounted on a collar t? secured to tube 38.

When the motor is operated to extend the rods 4! the latter open out to form a skeleton funnelshaped guide; and when the collar i3 is withdrawn rods M are retracted and the guide is collapsed and stowed.

The trailing hose 32 in Figure 3 terminates in a socket is similar in construction to socket 23 of Figure 1, its details not being illustrated. The mouth of socket 48 is extended to form a rigid conical member 59 which serves both as a drogue and as a guiding element functioning similarly to the ring 36 of Figure 1, and also serving to guide the extremity of the probe or nozzle 39 into socket 58. There is in this case a double guiding action, firstly of the rods 4! on the drogue member at, and secondly of the drogue member on the probe.

The operation is illustrated by Figure 5, which shows a "following aircraft 50, furnished with a guiding rod system 4| (as in Figures 3 and 4) surrounding a probe or nozzle (not shown, owing to the small scale of the drawing), approaching from behind a leading aircraft 5|, which trails a hose 32 terminating in a socket 48 and drogue at as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The pilot of the following aircraft has extended the guide system 4i and positioned his craft so that the guide rod system is roughly aligned with the drogue 49. By putting on speed the guide rod system will envelope the drogue and guide it into alignment until the probe enters the drogue and is thereby guided into the socket 38. Continued relative forward movement will cause the latches of the socket to engage the groove of the probe.

The procedure when using the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2 is essentially the same.

We claim:

1. In an installation for operatively joining two aircraft in flight, as for the purpose of towing or refueling, the combination of cooperating connecting means carried by the following and leading aircraft, said means comprising a coupling member carried by a portion of said first named aircraft and facing forwardly in the direction of flight, means mounting said coupling member upon said first named aircraft rigidly against movement in any direction transverse to the line of flight and in a position where it is unobstructed from in front; an element trailable rearwardly from said second named aircraft; a rigid circuiar guiding element mounted concentrically on the trailing element near the extremity thereof; a coupling member mounted on the extremity of said trailable element and facing aft in a position to be operatively engaged by said first named coupling member mounted on said first named aircraft when said second named coupling member is forcibly thrust against said first named coupling mem ber in the direction of flight; guiding means for centering said second named coupling member with respect to said first named coupling member as the craft approach each other, said guiding means comprising a funnel-shaped device carried by the first named aircraft and surrounding said first named coupling member and having its flared end extending forwardly of said coupling member, and in the direction of flight, when in operative position; said rigid circular guiding element adapted to contact the inner walls of said funnel-shaped guiding device which surrounds the first named coupling member, and for this purpose being of a diameter less than the maximum outward diameter of said funnel-shaped device.

2. In an installation for operatively joining two aircraft in flight, as for the purpose of towing or refueling, the sub-combination comprising means carried by the following aircraft for attaining the connection with the leading aircraft for the purpose desired, said means comprising a coupling member carried by a portion of said first named aircraft and facing forwardly in the direction of flight; means mounting said coupling member upon said aircraft rigidly against movement in any direction transverse to the line of flight and in a position where it is unobstructed from in front, all whereby said forwardly facing coupling member may be engaged with a complementary coupling mem-- ber trailed rearwardly from said other aircraft by thrusting said first named coupling forcibly in the direction of flight against such complementary member; guiding means for centering said second-named coupling member with respect to said first-named coupling member as the craft approach each other, said guiding means comprising a radially inwardly collapsible funnel-shaped device carried by the first named aircraft and surrounding said first named coupling member and having its flared end extending forwardly of said coupling when in operative position; and means carried by said following aircraft and operatively connected with said collapsible funnel-shaped device for collapsing said device in a radially inward direction toward the axis thereof and retracting said device rearwardly from operative to idle position.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the first-named coupling member is the plugmember of a plug-and-socket coupling.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the first-named coupling member is the socket member of a plug-and-socket coupling.

5. In an installation for operatively joining two aircraft in flight, as for the purpose of tow ing or refueling, the sub-combination comprising means carried by the leading aircraft for attaining the connection with the following aircraft for the purpose desired, said means comprising an element trailable rearwardly from said first named aircraft; a coupling member mounted on the extremity of said trailable ele ment and facing aft in a position to be operatively engaged by a complementary coupling member mounted on the second named aircraft when the second named coupling member is forcibly thrust against it in the direction of flight; a rigid circular guiding element mounted concentrically on the trailable element near the extremity thereof and spaced inboard from the coupling element; said rigid circular guiding element adapted to contact the inner walls of a funnel-shaped guiding device carried by said second named aircraft around its coupling member, and for this purpose being of a diameter less than the maximum outward diameter of said funnel-shaped device.

6. The sub-combination set forth in claim 5 in which said rigid circular guiding element comprises a substantially conical drag-creating flange, thus serving the additional purpose of aiding in maintaining the substantially horizontal position of the trailable element and the aft-facing aspect of the first named coupling member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,728,449 Procofieff-Seversky Sept. 17, 1929 1,848,372 Moran Mar. 8, 1932 2,199,588 Cobham et al May '7, 1940 2,582,609 Steele Jan. 15, 1952 2,596,455 Williams et a1. May 13, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES Time Magazine, page 54, Aug. 22, 1949.

F'light- Magazine, pages 200-204, Aug. 23, 1945. 

